Bust your diet at Buffet 101

August 2, 2013(late post)

My vouchers (c/o Ensogo) will soon expire so my sister and I decided to use them. Buffet 101 is located at the 2nd level of Robinson's Magnolia. The restaurant will open at exactly 11am. If you're a little early, you could sit on one of the chairs located outside. 

 

 

 

I wouldn't enumerate the names of the dish that I ate but I'd give you tips based on my experience:

• Cheese balls - these contain potatoes and a bit of cheese. I honestly thought that these were mozzarella balls. They should've labeled it as 'Potato balls' instead of deceiving diners. It's not bad tasting but it barely had cheese in it.
• Steamed shrimps can be ordered right where the aquariums for shrimps are located - near the dimsum area.
• Cheesy brocolli and cauliflower - get more of the cheese :)
• Prime rib - you have the choice to have it cooked through but it would be tough then. I tried the beef gravy, peppercorn gravy and the mushroom gravy. I preferred the peppercorn over the other two.
• I loved their yogurt, chocolate panna cotta, and coffee panna cotta.
• Pata tim - it was ok, but you could just as well skip it.
• Fresh salmon at the Japanese area is better than the spicy fried salmon.
• Chocolate pudding with oozing chocolate inside and where you put hot milk - we didn't get that "soft, oozing" chocolate. "That Chocolate Thing" of Bubba Gump still is the most comforting chocolate dessert for me.

I didn't get to eat the other dishes because I was too full. :(  If I could redo the whole buffet experience, I would've ordered more of those steamed shrimps, tasted the pasta dish, skipped on the cheese ball, got myself some of those fresh salmon fillet instead of the fried and spicy ones.

Celebrate like a Viking! :)

September 19, 2013

It's my birthday!! I've decided to celebrate my birthday(you get to dine for free as long as you are accompanied by a paying adult) at Vikings SM North The Block branch with my special man. I had it reserved 1 month prior to my birthday so I had no worries. We were early yet the line was already long.

First plate

Contents:

3 pcs. of ebi tempura - not too oily, batter not crisp yet thin so it's not too filling.

Steamed shrimp - I'm a fan of shrimp so I filled my plate with these. This sums up my first plate.

Side plate

Content:

2 pcs of grilled squid - I loved it so I had it again with my third plate.

2 sticks of bbq - I liked the taste of their bbq and the meat was tender.

2 sticks of chicken wings - I didn't get to eat this. I'm just too lazy to take out the bones (but not too lazy to remove the flesh of the shrimp from its shell ;) ) According to my special man, it was a bit sweet.

Grilled squid

Second plate

Contents:

A slice of roasted lamb - absolutely divine together with the mint.

A slice of beef tenderloin - loved it with the peppercorn gravy.

A small scoop of mashed potato - not too creamy. simply mashed. I liked it with the tenderloin.

A spoonful of ratatouille - light vegetable dish with tomato sauce. 

Third plate

Contents:

4 pcs. of hakaw - I wish I still had stomach space for more. :(

1 pc. chicken feet - it was ok. Usual.

1 pc. chuchow dumpling - I had no idea what this was but it looked harmless. It had taro(i think) inside.

Steamed shrimp - again :) Obviously I love 'em.

I would've gotten something from the sushi area but I'm just too lazy to line up and wait for people to make up their minds. So in the end, I didn't get any from that area.

My fourth plate

Fourth plate

Contents:

A slice of roasted lamb - again, with mint :)

A slice of beef tenderloin - again, with peppercorn gravy :)

5-6 pcs. of nachos topped with chili, cheese and a bit of sour cream on the side - yummy! Now, if you're not used to the smell and flavor of cumin, skip the chili.

Dessert

A bowlful of vanilla yogurt topped with peaches (from the salad bar) and three assorted fruit preserves (blueberry, cranberry, and strawberry - all from the crepe area)

A shotglass of coffee panacotta - I would've loved a stronger coffee taste

A shotglass of strawberry mousse - lacks the taste of strawberry. It was like eating a pink-colored whipped cream.

An extra mini ramikin of leche flan - not creamy. I didn't like it.

I wish they had fresh oranges in the fruits area to balance the sweetness of the other desserts.

Drinks

I normally drink water, but I tried their strawberry lemonade - too sour for my liking but it was good. You should go for the blueberry lemonade. 

Birthday Cake

Since it was my birthday, I got a free mocha cake. :) They even have employees who sing a "Happy Birthday" song for you, you get to wear a Viking hat, and they dance too! Thank you Vikings! I had a great birthday! 'Til next year :)

One saturDate

September 7, 2013

I haven't been to food trips lately then I remembered Yabu. A branch opened up not too long ago at SM North The Block so we decided to give it a try. 

Menchi Katsu Set

The Food

Kurobuta Pork

I ordered the Kurobuta-90g Tonkatsu Set at 515php. For me, it was steep but I would like to try the one on the menu labeled as "Premium" . My date ordered the Menchi Katsu Set at 350php. The set include unlimited servings of the ff.: rice, cabbage, fruit, pickled vegetable, and miso soup.

While waiting for our orders, we were given a small dish of sesame seeds and a wooden pestle. You have to grind the sesame seeds for added aroma and flavor to the katsu sauce.

The Service

I liked their service. They greeted us with a smile. Gave us water. Offered service tea. Offered for refills. Explained the use of all the bottles of condiments on our table. Unlike others where the customer would still have to wave or raise their hands like children just to get the table attendant's attention.

My Opinion
I don't understand why some people rave about this place. The food was just ordinary.  The katsu sauce lacked something that it just couldn't complement the taste of the katsu. Not even the presence of the crushed sesame seeds/pickled veggies nor the addition of the other condiments helped. On the plus side, the pork was tender and the katsu was not oily. Another plus side is that everything else is unlimited. So you'd still end up full. :)